2010 Editorials about the Side Effects of Tobacco

These editorials were written by the youths at the local high schools in Sacramento. These are their take as well as anecdotes on the harm of secondhand smoke.

Editorial #1

Have you ever stood on the side walk and smelled something funny? What smell is this, is someone smoking right next to you? It’s SECONDHAND SMOKE!!!!! This happens everywhere. It is what happened to me when I was little.

Secondhand smoke is bad for you. It’s not good for you because the air is not clear. The person next to you is giving you secondhand smoke. How is this bad? Did you know breathing secondhand smoke damages your heart and lungs, which increases the risk of heart disease by 25 to 30 percent?

When I was about 8 years old my dad, grandmas, and grand dad smoked.  When I was outside my dad would smoke. Then when I was at my grandparents’ house they would smoke in the house. Smoking was already in my life, the smell didn’t get to me. I liked the smell.

Because of that, I grew up smoking myself, but it changed my life badly. I wanted to play sports, but I couldn’t really breathe. I felt like my stomach was on fire and I couldn’t catch my breath. I thought about not listening to my mom and some people would talk to me about smoking but I didn’t listen because I was hardheaded. It took me a while to get my lungs back. Then I felt like smoking again. I couldn’t stop smoking.

Now I don’t think about smoking cause smoking is not an option when you’re at my age. That is how secondhand smoke got to me. Don’t let it get to you.

Editorial #2

Timmy took his last breath November 18, 2008, two weeks after his birth. Cause of death? Two months premature as a result of secondhand smoke. Over 60 percent of children in the US are exposed to secondhand smoke. It killed me more to see his sad little face than the secondhand smoke his mother and I breathed in daily. His mom never once thought daddy’s cigarette was going to affect her baby but she learned the hard way. Those two weeks of antagonizing pain from slowly watching her child die changed her. She has never been the same; always mad, sad, or drunk. Secondhand smoke ruined her life and it could ruin yours.

True story? Yes. Real pain and real deaths? Yes. I despise those that caused little Timmy and countless other babies their lives. I promise myself not to pick up a cigarette and I hope you don’t either.

Editorial #3
My daughter was a victim of secondhand smoke. She was one years old. Her grandmother smoked around her twenty-four hours a day, everyday. It finally caught up with her because she now has bronchitis as a result of the secondhand smoke. It hurts me to see her in pain and to know that our family did it to her without even knowing. People need to have more awareness about the parents’ roles in their children’s life when if comes to secondhand smoke. Almost 60 percent of U.S. children are exposed to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke also causes chronic coughing and wheezing in children.

Please be more sensitive to the fragile lungs of children. I don’t want anyone else to be in my situation.

Editorial #4

Secondhand smoke is very dangerous for many reasons. One of the many reasons is the exposure to infants and children. Infants and children who are exposed to secondhand smoke have a very high risk of getting

pneumonia and bronchitis.

Breathing secondhand smoke while being pregnant can cause a baby to be born prematurely and raise the risk of health problems. If children and infants are exposed to secondhand smoke, they can die because their bodies are

still developing and growing. Sixty percent of children in the US are exposed to secondhand smoke.

Studies show that 45,000 people die of heart disease annually and secondhand smoke plays a huge part of it. Secondhand smoke can be very easily stopped. There should be signs telling smokers to not smoke in public places such as pools and shopping centers. Fines should also be places on smokers who do not follow theses rules.